So I am calling upon you, dear readers; what do you think the score will be tonight?

The Stars are now missing Brenden Morrow, Steve Ott, Joel Lundqvist, Jere Lehtinen, Sergei Zubov and Stephane Robidas. Let’s add in there that Matt Niskanen will be playing and Marty Turco hasn’t exactly been up to par so far this season. How bad do you see the Wings beating us?

My prediction is 19-1. We’ll get the first goal, they’ll smile at us, let us think we have a chance. Then every player on their team will get a goal, including the goalie.

So I’m sure it’s no secret, I am terrified about playing the Red Wings in the Western Conference Finals. They are all that stand between the Stars and the Stanley Cup Finals. I have a good reason to be terrified, it’s no secret Turco hasn’t been the best against this team. The great thing about the playoffs is anything can happen. I mean, look at Marty’s numbers in playoff games previous to this year, not exactly fantastic (with the exception of last year.) This year, that’s all out the window. They are erasing the past and trying to work with a clean slate.

Despite already eliminating the defending Stanley Cup champions and the team picked to win the Stanley Cup this year, this will be their toughest series yet. I’ve said it before, that in Round 1 the Nashville Predators showed the Red Wings are beatable. However, the young Preds were unable to match the Vets on the Wings.

I’ll be honest that I didn’t watch a lot of the Avs-Wings series. And why would I? I hate both teams almost equally. However, I did read about the Avs having a lot of injury issues, which I do think hurt them a lot. Despite that, the Wings sweeping them was no fluke. There is a reason they finished as the best team in the league. So what are the Stars going to have to do to shut this team down? They only managed to do it 1 time this season out of 4 games and of course that was during the Red Wings slump while Lidstrom (among others) were out injured.

Whatever odd hold the Red Wings have over Marty Turco’s fantastic Smarty Marty brain will have to disappear. Marty has managed to get a lot of the monkeys off his back so far and I think this is another he’s going to have to work hard to get rid of. Osgood and Hasek are good, great even. (Boy it pains me to say that) but Marty is good enough to stand equal and sometimes even above them.

Our young defense and the rest of the team are going to have to work on shutting down Detroit’s top scorers of the post season; one namely being Johan Franzen. Holy shit that dude is good. I mean, 2 hat tricks in one series? How often does that happen? We can not, of course, leave out Zetterberg and Datsyuk. Oh hell, they’re going to have to watch that entire team. The entire team is a well oiled machine, and every cog has an important role to get and prevent what matters in these games: goals.

Brenden Morrow is going to have to continue being Brenden Morrow, and I don’t see that being a problem. That guy has played with his heart every time he hits the ice. He is the heart and soul and will be the one to lead this team into Joe Louis to try to come home with a win or two.

Special teams are going to be a huge huge part of this series, just as it is every other series. The Stars can not take as many penalties as they did early in the series with San Jose. Our PK is amazing, don’t get me wrong, but you can only kill so many before the other team will dig and dig and get that PP goal. Our PP will also have to be on. The Wings are a stingy stingy team, and it won’t be easy getting pucks towards the net.

With all this said, do I think it’s possible the Stars can shake whatever hold the Red Wings have had on them and pull it out? Yes I do, but it isn’t going to be easy. This will be a long, tough series. Probably will go to 7 games. But if the Stars that played that marathon Sunday night/Monday morning show, the Stars have the ability to take it in 7.

While my last predictions were more for fun than accuracy (I was 1-7 with them. Ya…), I’m going to try to be more accurate this time.

EASTERN CONFERENCEMontreal Canadiens (1) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (6)Like the Bruins, Montreal won all the regular season games between these 2 teams. Sure, the Flyers are a bunch of thugs sometimes, but I think the Canadiens can hold them off. I’m liking the Canadiens chances: Canadiens in 6 (Let’s not set anymore police cares on fire okay?)

Pittsburgh Penguins (2) vs. New York Rangers (5)I really know nothing about either team other than Cindy plays for one and a future Vogue intern plays for the other. I think it could go either way. While the Pens swept the Sens, the Rangers played a gritty 7-game series. I’m not sure if the Pens, even with Cindy, can hold off this team. So I’m going for Rangers in 7

WESTERN CONFERENCEDetroit Red Wings (1) vs. Colorado Avalanche (6)Oh yes, the 2 teams that top my most-hated list; with Detroit being 1 and Colorado being 1.5. So who do I think will come out on top? I’m not really sure. Detroit showed themselves to be quite beatable during their run with Nashville, and I think Colorado could capitalize on it easily. So I’m going on a limb here: Avalanche in 6.

San Jose Sharks (2) vs. Dallas Stars (5)Yet again, everyone is rooting against my team, making us the underdogs. Again. That’s fine, being an underdog worked to our advantage in round 1. If the last game of the season is any indictation, they can throw their weight around at us all they want because we’ll still come out ahead. I think the Stars can do it in 6 again.

All the cool kids are doing this, so I might as well too. Okay, unlike the other cool kids mine aren’t ‘predictions’ as much as they are who I would like to see lose.

So we’ll begin with the Eastern Conference since well, I know nothing about them.

Montréal Canadiens vs. Boston BruinsCanadiens lead the season series 8-0Wow. 8-0. Good job Boston, but hey. You made the playoffs, so there must be something good about you. You’d think I’d go for the Canadiens because of Brenden Morrow’s father-in-law, but that’s exactly why I’m saying Boston in 6

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Ottawa SenatorsSenators lead the season series 3-0-1I don’t want Sidney Crosby to win. Period. He’s a decent player, but I am so sick of hearing about him. Ottawa in 7

Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia FlyersSeries tied 2-2Russian machine never break. You’d think since I’m sick of hearing about Sid the Kid, I’d be sick of hearing about Ovie. But Ovie has something Sidney doesn’t; and it’s called personality. “This is where the wodka goes.” Oh Ovie. You deserve the universe. Washington in 5

New Jersey Devils vs. New York RangersRangers lead the season series 7-0-1Oh Jamie Laggenbrunner. How I miss you and heart you so. You’d think I’d be against the Devils after 2000, but I’m not. I’m really not. And that’s saying a lot because I usually hold onto bitterness for ages. But I love Jamie too much to say no to the Devils. New Jersey in 6

And now, we go onto the West, this will be fun.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Nashville PredatorsRed Wings lead the season series 5-3I hate the Red Wings, we all know this. Hate hate hate. I would love nothing more than to see them go out in the first round. Again. And I mean, the Preds do have Jason Arnott, who I still adore. Even despite Jordin Tootoo, Nashville in 7

San Jose Sharks vs. Calgary FlamesFlames lead the season series 3-1The Roenacking of the Stanley Cup is something I’m sure none of us want to see. And by “us” I mean me, Caitlin, Cat, etc.. So I would root for San Jose why? Especially after what Rivet did to Brenden’s face. Plus, I actually really do think the Flames could pull off Calgary in 6

Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado AvalancheWild lead the season series 5-2-1Ahh the Avalanche, a team I hate almost as much as I despise the Red Wings. Granted, I’m not really a fan of the Wild either, but I don’t particularly dislike them. After all, Fedoruk is who muttered the words I love so much “WORKIN’ TODAY EH OTTER?” and led Brenden Morrow to go on about a loogie for 5 minutes straight. So just for you Fridge, Minnesota in 7

Anaheim Ducks vs. Dallas StarsStars lead the season series 5-2-1I’m sure we can all guess who I’m saying in this one. I mean, really. I hate the Ducks. I hate Selanne, I hate the stupid Niedermeyer brothers, I HATE Chris Pronger….the list could go on. Who don’t I usually hate? Jiggy, but I need him to suck. And for the next 2 weeks I hate him too. The Stars owned them this season, and if Marty can re-enact last season’s playoffs and our scoring can get off the ground, we have a great chance of getting out of the first round. So here it is guys. I’m going out on a limb here Dallas in 6